


what's in a family

by KlonoaDreams



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alien Crewmate(s) (Among Us), Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Orange will not stop adopting children, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, Starts with one and it just escalates, Worldbuilding, can't have just ONE jelly bean, headcanons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27275923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KlonoaDreams/pseuds/KlonoaDreams
Summary: You were just doing your job, and yet...How did you end up with so many kids?
Comments: 39
Kudos: 221





	1. Berry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blah, blah, I don't own shit, nor do I owe anyone a proper explanation beyond my hyperfixation being WEIRD and slamming me into a wall with a bunch of feels that I HAD to write, if I EVER wanted to move on.
> 
> So have a self-indulgent fic that I'm writing for funzies.

As far as humanoids go, you’re not anything remarkable.

Your strength is above average amongst humans, though as far as other races go, there are definitely those who are even stronger. And taller—there’s definitely that, too.

You’re not an aquatic, nor are you amorphous. You’re not even human, though you’re often mistaken for one. A very tiny human.

(You’re of average height for your race.)

It’s probably why most of your crewmates find you so approachable. After all, you’re pretty harmless. And more importantly—you’re not an Impostor.

And you’d like to keep it that way, as your crewmates start to disappear or get mistakenly ejected into space.

(Yellow didn’t deserve that.)

You’ve been through this scenario a lot back at the Academy, during your training days. And it’s a lot more terrifying now that you _know_ this is real. Not helping, is that this is your first official mission.

(Straight out of the Academy.)

Your nerves are on the fritz. The power went out again, so it’s up to you fix it for what feels to be the umpteenth time. As soon as the lights go back on, you almost swear up a storm when you see Blue’s child just standing there. There’s something ominous about the way they stare at you.

Not the first time they’ve done that, so you assume that it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Still—Blue should know better than to leave their child alone.

“Where’s Blue?” you ask, about ready to lecture the hell out of them.

(Seniority be damned.)

The child tilts their head to the side, their expression completely obscured by their helmet. Seconds go by, and the child finally understands what you’ve asked them.

They let out a few clicks and chirps, before quickly correcting themselves with a heavily accented, “Gone.”

“Oh.” You want to be optimistic, but then you notice a splattering of blood covering their spacesuit. And really, that’s all you need to know that something is wrong.

So you grab Blue’s child by the hand and calmly lead them into the cafeteria…where you fucking book it to the table in the center of the room and slam your hand down on the button to call up an emergency meeting. Sure enough, your scanners all pick up on Blue’s missing vitals, which gives the final verdict.

“Well, this is lovely.” Red is as cynical as ever.

“Did…anyone find the body?” Pink brings up a good question that almost makes you want to heave.

“Is there even a body to find?” And Brown brings up yet another question that absolutely _ruins_ your appetite.

Guess you’re not eating today…

“For a first mission, this fucking sucks.” You’ve since stopped giving a damn about swearing in front of Blue’s child. Although, it helps that their translator censors the word for you. That still doesn’t stop Pink from scolding you.

“So…any ideas?” There’s only four of you left (not including Blue’s child), and things are getting pretty sticky.

“I think it’s Red.” Pink does not even hold back.

“Why?!” Red slams his hand down on the table. “I was in admin the entire time!”

“You’re _always_ in admin!” Pink points an accusatory finger at Red.

“The card reader won’t work, dammit!” Red throws the card across the table. “I’m leaving this one to you, Orange.”

Oh lovely—your most hated task. And since Red has seniority, good luck refusing!! “What about Blue’s kid?”

You can’t just leave them alone.

(There’s only one Impostor around—anything can happen at this point.)

“Just babysit them, or something—I’m gonna go fix communications.” They’re down again?

You heave out a sigh, feeling far too exhausted for comfort. Then Blue’s child starts tugging on your hand. “Hmm?”

There’s a small chirp here, and click there, before, “Hungry.”

“After I get through this task.” It’s a good thing admin is so close to the cafeteria. “In the meantime…do you like mandarins?”

It’s all you really have on you at any given moment, thanks to your nifty portable storage device. You have so many of them, no thanks to the trees you have back home. You made sure to pick all of them before your first mission. You didn’t want them to spoil, after all.

And now, they’re one of your constant snack foods that you’ll share with the others, should they even ask.

(Sadly, they have not—they’re too busy dying or getting ejected into space.)

“Want.” Blue’s child starts tugging on your hand. “Want.”

There’s another chirp here and there, before Blue’s child moves in closer to give you an affectionate nuzzle.

Welp…you’re sold on this kid. “Do you have a name?”

All you get is indecipherable chittering that the translator cannot translate, so you decide that maybe you should offer a placeholder.

“Is there another name you’d like to be call?” You doubt your vocal cords are capable of mimicking their exact sounds, and the last thing you’d want to do is completely butcher their name. You give a small chirp back—it comes far too naturally to you, that it makes Blue’s child perk up.

“Berry!!” They chirp again before holding out their hand. “Want. Want. Want.”

By the time you’re done fighting with the card reader in admin, there is a pile of mandarin peels by Berry, who won’t. Stop. _Chirping_.

It’s not a bad sound, though it makes you wary of the other sounds you won’t be able to pick up on—especially with how close you are to the vents.

“Let’s just get out of here.” You’re done with everything, and you should’ve clocked out five minutes ago. This is what you get for letting the card reader make a fool out of you—and that’s a _dead body_!! “Don’t look!!”

You cover Berry’s visor, praying to whichever deity ruled the cosmos that they didn’t see anything. All you hear are confused chirping, which encourages you to move forward to press the big red button in the cafeteria.

“I’m starting to think you’re the Impostor, Orange.” _Of course_ Pink would say that!

“Maybe it’s you!!” You bounce the accusation back on Pink, because at this point, it’s either him or Red. Brown is dead, and all you have to vouch for yourself is a child who refuses to let go of your leg.

“I’m gonna flip a coin…and whichever side it lands on, is who I’m going to vote for.” Red drags his hand down his helmet’s visor.

“Are…Are you serious?” They didn’t talk about this back at the Academy!!

“Oh, I’m dead serious—here’s the coin.” Red holds up a coin belonging to a currency you don’t necessarily recognize. “I’mma flip it. And there it goes.”

It lands on heads, or what you assume is heads. You stare at the coin for a good, long minute, with Pink doing the same. Another minute goes by before Pink goes, “To hell with this!”

Thick vines break through Pink’s visor, and shoot towards Red. He is uncharacteristically calm, but only because he took out a gun and pulled the trigger.

_BANG!_

And that’s the end of Pink.

(Who’d thought it be _that_ easy.)

You help Red eject Pink’s body into space, making sure to report to HQ afterwards, because for the rest of the month, it’s just going to be you, Red, and Berry. A job’s a job, after all—even if you _almost_ died.

“Almost,” Red corrects you when you start complaining.

It’s a lot more awkward, without the other crewmates around to take the edge off of Red’s cynicism. Not helping is Berry’s constant need to ask questions you’re not exactly sure you’re capable of answering. That still doesn’t stop you from finding them cute.

Because really, Berry is rather adorable child, with their sea green skin, pitch-black eyes, and razor-sharp teeth. They’re of an aquatic race that thrives in salt water, which requires you to make trips to storage every now and then to pick up the correct solution for their daily baths. It’s to keep them hydrated, according to child care manual that HQ sent to your tablet.

You learn a lot about Berry, that by the time you’re ready to head home, you find yourself hesitating to hand them over. Like, you know they’ll be in good hands…

But do you want to say goodbye?

“Bye, bye-bye, Mama!!” It’s that phrase that kicks your maternal instinct into overdrive, forcing you to ask for the paperwork needed to adopt Berry.

So that’s how you go home with Blue’s child. Not bad for a first mission, though you could’ve done without the trauma.

“Maybe the next mission won’t be as bad.” You’ll get a raise for bringing your child to work, so it should help cover the costs it took to make a suitable living space for Berry. And if you’re lucky, you’ll have enough left over to splurge on sushi from that fancy human restaurant you like so much.

(How you wish you weren’t so naïve…)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Among Us_ grabbed me by the throat, and made me flesh out an OC I had that will _not_ stop adopting children. [Her name is Pixie](https://klonoadreams.tumblr.com/post/630461578336190464/also-made-an-among-us-oc-she-might-look-human), and she’s named after a variety of mandarins that are seedless and easy to peel. (goes by she/her and they/them pronouns)
> 
> Anyways, Berry’s just gonna be one of the many kids she’ll be picking up. Because she refuses to leave a jelly bean alone.
> 
> I’m probably gonna be writing this fic in my spare time, so…don’t expect much from me, yeah? I just like found family, and shenanigans.
> 
> First time writing second person, and I’m sticking with it, since it flows well. Also, have some of my rando headcanons and worldbuilding, because even when I’m writing for funzies, I can’t stop my brain from working overtime.
> 
> Also, despite Red being a throwaway character, I feel like this won’t be the last time we’ll see him, so keep an eye out for him.
> 
> That’s all I have for now, because I have another fandom that’s waiting to drag me back into the depths of hell—it’s _Twisted-Wonderland_ , btw.
> 
> Anyways, until next time!! Stay safe!!


	2. Pop

Your next mission is at MIRA HQ.

By the cosmos, you hate this place.

Holy fuck, do you _really_ hate this place.

But…a job is a job, and also, Berry is there, so you **have** to set an example.

Even though you _really_ want to bitch and moan about never-ending hallways that give you so much anxiety as you turn a corner. Not helping your situation, is the tiny child toddling after you because one of your crewmates, White, decided to trust you with their spawn (their words, not yours).

(You heavily suspect that they may be of a species that reproduces asexually because of it.)

White’s child is dressed in a white spacesuit, with movements that are especially uneasy. They often crash into the back of your legs, nearly tripping you a few times when their arms suddenly wrapped around your knees. After the fifth time it’s happened, you decide to let them ride on your shoulders.

Which…made Berry a bit jealous.

“You’ll get your turn.” Right after you finish watering the plants in the greenhouse, which…requires you to grab the watering can from storage. Meaning you’ll be in these hallways a lot longer than you’d like, reminding you of the incredibly terrible luck you had during your Academy days.

(The MIRA HQ simulations were not especially kind to you, making your graduation somewhat of a miracle.)

You are quite the sight to your human crewmates, who often mistake you for someone younger than you actually are…like Green, who treats you like you’re some sort of teenager. Even though you’ve long since reached maturity, but hey—at least the head pats are nice.

(Humans never change, do they?)

Honestly, it’s what makes his death all the more painful, when you come across his corpse in the greenhouse. You almost didn’t see it, due to the way his spacesuit blended in with most of the greenery. And then you stepped in a puddle of his own blood.

Needless to say, you were pretty hysterical when you reported the body to everyone else. Thankfully, no one pointed any fingers at you over the table. Mostly because White vouched for you, having listened to what their child had to say.

You’re still not sure what their child had said, but you can’t help but feel comforted in the fact that no one is suspecting you… Not that they should, because you’re innocent!!

(Very much so.)

You’re mostly just concerned what will become of Berry, should something happen to you. So you find yourself telling them to go to White, should you meet an untimely end. Which is very likely, because again, MIRA HQ is the stuff of nightmares, based off your Academy experience.

Hopefully, you’ll have a more dignified death than getting eaten alive…or no deaths at all. You’d prefer that alternative, honestly, after your last mission.

“You’re supposed to peel it!!” You are immediately shoved out of your thoughts when you catch White’s child eating the mandarin you handed to them _whole_. “You’re gonna get a stomachache like that!!”

White’s child gives no verbal response, the only noises coming from them sounding far too wet and sticky for comfort. Then their visor pops open and expels a viscous, peach-colored fluid that covers the floor. Within the fluid are the remains of the mandarin’s peel, which is slowly disintegrating the longer that it remains within the fluid.

“Huh.” You certainly weren’t expecting that to happen, though that certainly confirms some suspicions you had about White’s species.

You learn a lot more about them, when you sit down at their table during mealtime. White belongs to a specific group of amorphous beings that will spawn at least once within their own lifetime.

“Our spawn is incapable of maintaining any physical shape.” White taps on their child’s visor. “It’s why they spend the first decade or so in a containment suit of some kind to keep their shape, and to also avoid leaving a mess behind.”

“Why are you telling me this?” It feels oddly personal, considering your current circumstances.

“I don’t think I’m suited for parenthood,” White confesses, sounding rather ashamed. “I’m not as young as I used to be, and I’ve had far too many close calls in the past to put any trust in my self-preservation skills.”

“And that’s why you trust me?” It’s a bit much, but…you can’t say you aren’t flattered in any way.

(The validation feels nice, if a bit too sudden.)

“For a lack of better terms…yes, that is why I trust you.” White reaches out to tap your visor. “Please keep this little one safe in my absence. And should anything happen to me—”

“Yeah, I know— _please_ don’t die.” You’re starting to get attached, which is _never_ a good sign, when _anyone_ can be the Impostor, but dammit! It’s too late to do anything about that, so the most you can do is hope that White makes it to the very end.

You sure can’t say the same about Cyan, whose remains are found in decontamination. Yet again, you avoid having anyone point their fingers at you, thanks to White vouching for you…

Which backfires spectacularly when they do it again, once Red and Pink are found dead. Why is that?

Well, Yellow started pointing fingers at White and accusing them of being a, “Simp.”

“What the hell is a simp?” You turn to Brown for some answers, but all you get is a shrug…which makes you wonder if this is some sort of Earth slang you’ve missed out on. After all, the only other people getting on Yellow’s case are Green, Purple, and Black—who are all human.

(It’s easy to tell who’s human and who isn’t, despite their attempts to blend in—which is endearing in its own right.)

“Simp! Simp! Simp!” The children learn a new word, much to the chagrin of your human crewmates.

“Seriously though, what does that mean?” Brown turns to Purple, who just buries her face in the palm of her hands.

You never find out what it means, as Yellow is immediately voted off and ejected, for better or for worse.

(You’re not sure if he really deserved it, but considering what you hear afterwards about his track record of harassing non-human crewmates…maybe it’s for the best.)

Surprisingly enough, the killings stop immediately after Yellow’s ejection, making everyone wonder if he truly was the Impostor.

It is later confirmed, through the fact that you all make it to the very end, without any more casualties. Of course, it could be that the Impostor (or Impostors) got cold feet after Yellow’s ejection, but you’d prefer to think that you and the others were right inn ejecting him.

So you find yourself celebrating afterwards at an Earth restaurant, with White and their child. You’re in the area, after all, so you might as well make the most of it. You certainly overindulge in sushi, with Berry at your side, while White cleans up after their child’s slime.

You don’t really get a name out of White that you can physically pronounce, so you’re given a placeholder of sorts, that White has chosen for themselves.

“Snap,” is what they choose, after one of their favorite sounds. It is a sound that their child makes, followed by an audible popping sound that Berry quickly replicates.

“Does the little one have a name?” you ask with your mouth full of food.

Snap tilts their head to the side, pausing momentarily after hearing another “pop!” from their child. A minute passes, and they reply with, “Pop.”

“P-P-Popppp!!!” their child awkwardly repeats before extending their hand out towards you. “W-W-Waaaant! W-W-W-Waaaaantttt!”

“Want!!” Berry pipes up.

“Hold ooonnn…” You never thought that Berry’s little habit of asking for mandarins would rub off on Pop, but that’s mostly on you for underestimating how weird kids can be when they want something.

This isn’t the last time you meet up with Snap. Over the course of a month, you meet up with them during your downtime, during these playdates of sorts that you hold for Berry and Pop.

Sometimes, you hang out at a park or something. Other times, Snap chastises you for your overindulgence in expensive Earth foods…not that that stops them from paying half of the tab, because they too, like to indulge as well.

“How are we parents?” you ask out loud, through the haze of your own food coma.

“I just spawned randomly one day…and you adopted someone else’s child.” You envy Snap for their coherence, though that quickly stops when they let out a small hiccup. “Apologies—I’m still digesting.”

“Nah, it’s cool.” It’s adorable, really. “Say, if we make it through our next mission, we should totally hang out again.”

Not exactly the best idea you’ve ever had, since you don’t trust your own survival skills, seeing as you still only have two missions under your belt while Snap has countless. But still, you’d like to have something to at least look forward to, instead waiting and hoping that your next day isn’t your last.

Fortunately enough, the two of your are assigned to MIRA HQ for a second time together. It’s all sunshine and rainbows for you, since it’s nice to have someone around that you recognize. And then you run into Red from your first mission.

“Surprised you’re still alive.” You could say the same about Red, but he still has enough seniority over your ass to hand you a task you absolutely hate. “Stay alive, you little twerp.”

You hate that he’s taller than you by a large margin. It makes it difficult to maintain eye-contact—if he even has eyes.

(You wouldn’t know, since you never seen him without a helmet.)

You do your best to stay on your toes, since you still hate being on MIRA HQ.

(If this place were to suddenly blow up one day, you would not feel an ounce of remorse…except maybe towards the plants in the greenhouse—you like those plants.)

Berry still remains at your side, with Pop never too far from your sight. Snap still checks on you every now and then…until they don’t one day.

You try to stay optimistic, even as the days go by and another of your crewmates disappear.

“Snappppp?” Pop finally calls out one day, while you’re in the middle of sorting out some samples in the laboratory. “Snaaapppppp!!!”

It hurts to see Pop like this, especially since Berry starts copying them. The two are calling out for Snap as you continue your task. You don’t know why they’re like this, until Pop toddles up to you with a white-colored glove in their hands.

“Snaaapppp!!!” They hold up the glove for you to see.

“Ahhh…” There’s something especially horrifying about this, as you start to notice the peach-colored fluids staining the glove. “Wh-Where…Where did you find that?”

“Box!!” Berry pipes up, pointing their finger at a nearby box that was taped up not too long ago.

“Ahhhh…” You want to scream…you really do—but you have to confirm this first, before anything. So you take a few hesitant steps towards the box. The closer you get, the more you wonder how anyone was able to ignore such a suspiciously wet box. Once you’re close enough to look inside, you nearly lose your lunch at the sight of a fractured core amongst the peach-colored fluid surrounding the remains of Snap’s spacesuit.

“Mama?” Berry tilts their head to the side. “Snap?”

You don’t know how to break the news to them. You know you’ll have to eventually, but…you’re not sure you’re strong enough now, since you still have to report the body.

“Snaaappp!!” Pop calls out again. “Wheerrrree?”

You stare at Pop for a good minute, going through the stages of grief in that brief amount of time. You know you’ll be an absolute mess once you return to the private comfort of your own room…but for now, you reach out and point your finger at Pop’s chest.

“There,” you say. “In your core.”

Pop had spawned when Snap’s core had split in half. As a result, Pop will always have a part of Snap within them. It’s not exactly what you’d like to tell them, since you know that Pop wants Snap. But it’s all you can say, without losing your composure.

You think you have it together… And then Pop holds their parent’s glove tighter against their chest and asks, “Juuuuuuust th-th-th-theerrrrre?”

“Just there.” You’re really fortunate to be wearing your helmet. You’re not sure how Berry or Pop would’ve reacted to seeing you cry. You don’t want them to see you cry—not like this.

You don’t know how you made it through the meeting without anyone pointing fingers at you, but you’re not complaining. It certainly helps that Red has your side, mostly from the fact that he keeps calling you an inexperienced twerp incapable of doing anything so competent.

“You’d know if it was Orange.” Well, fuck him, too!!

You’re quite the grouch afterwards, still processing the loss of your friend…and the sudden addition to your ever-growing family.

(Family?)

You pause for a moment, looking away from the wires you’re fixing to check on Berry and Pop. Berry is teaching Pop how to peel a mandarin, now that they’ve gained some solidity to their form. It’s an improvement towards Pop’s tendency to swallow the mandarin whole, before expelling the peel in a puddle of digestive juices and slime. It almost makes you proud…

And then Pop catches you by surprise, showing off how much their voice has stabilized when they call you, “Mama!!”

You know they’re just mimicking Berry, but it still makes your chest throb.

(There’s no way you’re leaving this child behind.)

Snap trusted you, after all. And when the Impostor tries to corner you in the greenhouse, during one of your tasks, you find yourself bashing them over the head with your watering can and booking it towards the cafeteria to call up an emergency meeting.

You’ve never considered yourself a violent person…but then Pop tripped and landed in the Impostor’s path, making you act first before you even had time to process it.

(You already lost Snap—you’re not losing Pop, too.)

Cyan gets ejected after a unanimous vote. Even with the chances of there being another Impostor, Cyan has since lost their support for trying to harm a child. Amongst Impostors, there’s an unspoken rule that children are not to be harmed.

It’s why crewmates are encouraged to bring their children along. It deters the Impostors from acting so recklessly, lowering the number of casualties per mission. Knowing this, the remaining crewmates stick to your side as you all finish the last of your tasks.

Another successful mission, another successful bonus to your usual pay. You have another childcare manual added to your tablet—not that you really needed it, since you learned all that you can from Snap…but it’s certainly appreciated anyways.

You celebrate another job well done at that same restaurant you visited with Snap before that mission, doing your best to keep a smile on your face as you clean up after Pop. You don’t even care that Berry is swiping off sushi off your plate—they can have however much as they want.

“A family…” you find yourself saying as you lean back in your chair. You’re still single as can be, and the proud parent to two children who are of a different species than yours.

(Is this fine?)

You pause for a moment, taking another sip of your drink. You hear laughter coming from Berry and Pop. It’s so carefree, and innocent…

(Yeah…this is fine.)

It still hurts…but at least you’re not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT UP EVERYONE, THIS WEEK AS BEEN A FUCKING YEAR HASN’T IT???
> 
> Yeah, anyways, welcome to the family, Pop!! They’re of an amorphous species—basically, a slime. They have a core that basically functions as their heart, and other important organs. Think of it like Morpha’s nucleus in the Ocarina of Time, how they go down after you hit their nucleus enough times.
> 
> ANYWAYS, Snap was actually supposed to die during Pixie’s second mission, but oops…
> 
> Also, have another of my headcanons. Impostors don’t touch children, unless they want to mcfucking DIE. Cyan legit just got on everyone’s shit list.
> 
> Again, not all Impostors are like this, but not all of them are completely terrible either.
> 
> Wasn’t expecting Red to show up so soon again, but there he is, the asshole. And like Pixie, he’s not human either. Don’t have a name for him yet, but uhhh…might make a pcirew of him, since he’s definitely going to be a reoccurring character. He’s like the all-knowing senpai in some office-setting anime or some shit.
> 
> By the way, if anyone needs an actual height for Pixie, she’s probably the closest to what you get from the Medbay scans, though she’s got a few more inches on her (nothing past 4’0” though). She’s also on the chubby side, so if you wanted to, you CAN squish her face. [Squish, squiiiiishhh](https://64.media.tumblr.com/f7d57b8b462fc18d99d885822fb833a6/c86b450bcb76506d-e0/s500x750/24aca29e46a3d6724925c1d87cbd9e3f28117c0d.png)!!!
> 
> Hurt her kids, and she will fight back—her own fears be damned.
> 
> ANYWAYS, why the hell are so many people reading this fic?! I’m like legit surprised, because I just wanted to get a hyperfixation out of the way. And with what’s happened this week, I’m back on this because I needed a fast outlet for stress and whatnot.
> 
> Not that I’m ungrateful or anything, I’m just surprised but also hiiiiiii, I’m sorry I haven’t responded to any comments. I’ve been in and out doing things, due to class and…other things, like the presidential election.
> 
> Anyways, I’ll try to get on the comments this time around, so uhh…hope you enjoyed this chapter!! This is all I have for now, so until next time, everyone!!
> 
> Stay safe!!


	3. Moss

The next few months go by without much fanfare.

You do your tasks as usual, with Pop and Berry never straying too far from your side. You are _especially_ lucky when going between The Skeld and MIRA HQ.

No casualties for once.

You’re not sure if it’s because you have two children by your side, making it harder for most Impostors to target you…or maybe, you’re just lucky that there weren’t any Impostors to begin with.

It happens, after all.

Of course, you know better than to lower your guard— **especially** on MIRA HQ.

(By the cosmos, you _still_ hate that place.)

_Squish!_

You let out a sigh when you realize you’ve stepped in a puddle of Pop’s fluids. Somehow, in the past few weeks you’ve been on The Skeld, Pop has learned how to escape their containment suit. While they don’t cause too much trouble, that still doesn’t stop them from making a mess.

Berry only laughs as they stand _just_ out of sight (not really—you’re just pretending, to humor them), with a bucket in their arms. A popping noise comes from within the bucket, and after a few seconds of you calling out to them, you see Pop’s slime-covered core peering out of the bucket.

“You guys are in trouble when I finish cleaning up!!” You don’t really mean it. Shit’s been pretty boring since nothing has been happening—not that you’re complaining!!

(Really, you’re not!!)

You’re just bored because you haven’t been able to make any friends. It’s very difficult, when you’re still getting over the loss of Snap.

(Damn, you miss Snap…)

Not to mention, everyone around you has been about as sociable as a wall. Like, geez, you certainly got the short end of the stick this time around. At least last month, you were able to make some small talk.

This time, you’re lucky enough if you can make contact with _anyone_. Most of your crewmates would prefer to immerse themselves in their tasks. Meanwhile, you’re stuck doing just that and taking care of your kids.

“Oh well.” You suppose it was inevitable, especially since you’re still a newbie. It still doesn’t make it any less lonely.

Hopefully, your next mission will be a bit more exciting. You’re starting to get tired of seeing the same, damn scenery every day. At least your kids know how to entertain themselves…

…

…

Okay, you take it back—you _want_ to go back to that boring, normalcy. You didn’t actually think you’d get assigned to Polus so soon, but apparently, you were needed to fill a quota and you’re not sure how to _feel_ about that. After all, someone recommended you, otherwise you would have never popped up on HQ’s radar.

So who the _hell_ recommended you?!

“Good to see you again.” Of fucking course—it’s _Red_.

If looks could kill, Red would be dead on the spot. Instead, you remain silent as you keep your hold on Pop and Berry.

(Stay calm— _stay_ calm.)

You exhale slowly, feeling far too exhausted for comfort. Not helping is that missions on Polus go on a lot longer than what you’re used to.

“Why me?” you decide to ask, because you are seriously underprepared.

“Because you’re still alive.” Red is as blunt as ever. “Also, you’re good with kids.”

“Are you serious?” Is that _really_ why you were dragged here for the next few months?!

“When am I never serious?” You honestly have no response. “Try to get acquainted with the others—it’ll do you some good.”

And the reason for it is because you have now been tasked as this mission’s babysitter.

Oh. Joy.

(At least those mandarins are getting put to good use…)

Chaos reigns all around you as you’re tugged from left to right. You’re in the middle of a task, because of course you still have them as a crewmate. Even better ( **not** ), you’ve come face to face with your archnemesis: the card reader.

_Beep!_

_Beep!_

_Beep!_

The urge to swear is rising, but you cannot lose yourself!! You are around children, and the last thing you want to do is teach them a _new_ word.

(Sooner or later, someone is bound to slip up, and you’d rather they deal with the fallout instead of you.)

Often, you find yourself having to open. The fucking door. WHY. Is it LOCKED?!

“If I have to reset another circuit breaker, I’m gonna…” You stop yourself. You’re barely one week into this mission—you can’t go losing your temper this soon. Not around the kids… “Is anyone cold?”

Maybe a change of scenery will do you some good… At the very least, you could stand to bask under the O2 room’s synthetic sunlight while monitoring the tree.

As usual, this is where you find Purple and Blue, doing absolutely nothing. You’d find their behavior suspicious, had it not been for their child dropping various hints about their species. Really, it isn’t that difficult to put two and two together. It’s not your first time dealing with those of a plant-based species.

However, it is the first time you’re dealing with non-hostiles, considering your absolute disaster of a first mission—not that you’ll hold anything against them. You’re not the type to judge on species alone. Sure, there are some trends with Impostors, but _anyone_ can be an Impostor.

And you make it a point to remind anyone who forgets.

Like Lime, who tries to stir up trouble when she reports Purple and Blue’s “odd” behavior.

“Not all of us can go without sunlight, Lime!!” In fact, your own species requires a minimum amount when in colder temperatures. The last time you neglected those needs, you had to brush out so much fluff out of your hair. It took _ages_ for it to grow back to its original length and color…

(Academy life makes it difficult to keep to a consistent schedule when you’re up to your neck in school work.)

“Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated, Lime—don’t make me write you up.” Red makes his stance clear. “If you’re gonna cause trouble, can you at least wait for someone to _die_ first?”

Which is exactly what happens when Blue’s body is found in decontamination.

“Dammit, I wasn’t being serious!” Red slams his fist down on the table. “Alright, one at a time—you start, Orange.”

“Got locked in with the kids.” Someone messed with the doors yet **again**.

(Seriously, when will they stop being locked?!)

“I was in the laboratory, submitting a scan—Yellow can vouch for me.” And Yellow does exactly that for Purple.

“Where were you before then?” Lime points an accusatory finger at Purple. “Better yet, are we sure Orange is telling the truth?”

“Why the hell would I leave the kids alone?!” This place is too big to let them just wander about on their own!! “What about you?! Where were you when the body was discovered?!”

“I was by electrical, fixing the wiring.” Lime folds her arms over her chest.

“Regrettably, I can confirm that.” Red drags his hand down his visor.

“What do you mean, ‘regrettably’?!” Lime screeches.

“It means you should stop acting like a bitch!” Cyan smacks the hornet’s nest and starts up a cacophonous screaming match between him and Lime.

Black, Green, and Yellow are all quick to cover their children’s ears, to prevent any of them from listening in on Cyan and Lime. Purple does the same, while you’re left to figure out how to work with Berry and Pop. Not helping is Pop’s lack of ears, and Berry’s sensitive fins, so you’re completely at a loss.

Which is how, later, you end up with a crowd of children just yelling out, “Bitch!!”

Needless to say, no one is happy with Lime and Cyan.

Which is why no one cares when Lime is found dead in storage…except maybe you, because you’re the one to find the dead body and oh, geez—that was the _worst_!

“Well…at least we know that Lime isn’t the Impostor.” Red could stand to show a _little_ tact, but that might be asking too much from him. “Alright, Cyan—what’s your alibi?”

“I was in electrical, fixing the lights.” Cyan heaves out a sigh. “ _Please_ don’t tell me you think that it’s me.”

“Can’t be too sure, which is why it’s best to go down the list.” Red has a point, as annoying as it is to admit. “In any case, it’s almost time to clock out for the evening. Stay in your rooms, and don’t do anything funny—got it?”

“Aye!”

It is surprisingly peaceful for the next two weeks. Nothing much really happens, outside of the occasional quake and a few shenanigans that you’ve otherwise come to expect from the children. There’s not much to report either, beyond the card reader hating your guts.

At some point, _everyone_ gets a rude awakening in the form of the seismic reactor going off, which sends you into a complete tizzy as you stumble out of your room. You’re in too much of a rush to get properly dressed, allowing anyone within the vicinity to see you without your spacesuit.

It’s cold as hell, but you’re too busy slamming your gloved hand down on the scanner to really care. You exhale shakily as soon as the alarm stops blaring, thereby notifying you that the problem has been resolved. You remove your hand from the scanner and immediately book it to your room, nearly bumping into Red, who is more than surprised to see you.

“Was expecting you to be more of a gremlin.” Yeah, well you’d have something to say to him if you weren’t in such a rush to get back to your room.

You spend the next day in the MedBay, recovering from a mild fever. It’s nothing too serious, though you should still consider it a warning from your own body. You’re not meant to withstand such cold temperatures, after all.

Red watches the children in your place, which is surprising, since he’s the last person you’d ever expect to be good with children… You’re not exactly wrong, since he isn’t the most tactful person around, but it’s certainly better than leaving the kids to their own devices.

Once you’ve recovered, you find out that Cyan has been unceremoniously thrown into the lava, which is…frightening, to say the least. Like, you already know what happens to anyone who gets voted off on Polus, but that still doesn’t make you feel any better.

As a result of Red covering for you, your crewmates have decided to relieve you of your babysitting duty to watch over their own children. So you’re back to only having to worry about Pop and Berry. It’s an improvement, even if it gets a little boring, now that there are less kids to handle.

At least, until Purple’s child decides she wants to play along. You think her name is Moss?

“Moss!!” Yeah, it’s Moss.

She sticks to your side like glue, despite the fact that she should be with her mother, Purple. And yet, that isn’t the case when you clock in for the day and she follows you, alongside Berry and Pop, to your room.

You don’t really question it, since there’s not exactly much that can be done. And honestly, you’re actually terrified of going all the way to see Purple to give her back her child when it’s already late, sooo…

You’ll deal with whatever lecture is thrown your way come the following morning.

Except…

It never comes.

Red does a headcount and points out that Purple and White are missing. “Ominous.”

“Care to keep that to yourself?” asks Yellow.

“No.” Red pauses for a moment. “Yeah, no—I have a bad feeling about this. Moss—where’s your mom?”

“Sleeping!!” Moss pipes up. “She wouldn’t wake up, so I left her alone.”

“Sleeping, huh?” Well, that makes sense…

…

…

“ _Oh_.” You don’t like the sound of that.

“Oh _no_ , we’re dealing with one of **those** types.” Red clutches his head in his hands. “Nobody split up—I fucking mean it.”

“Language!” Green hisses out as he covers his child’s ears.

“Green, someone is dead and the Impostor has access to our rooms—your child learning a few new words should be the last of your worries.” Red has a point, though that doesn’t stop Pop from going, “FUCK!”

And soon Berry and Moss do the same.

Now all the children are saying, “Fuck!” while Red is issuing new orders.

“Until we find White’s body, no one is allowed to go solo—no exceptions!” Red slams his hand on the table. “For the time being, no one is allowed to leave the room…”

And that’s when the lights go out.

“Son of a—!” Red cuts himself off. “Okay…okay—new plan: we send in a team to fix the lights, lest the Impostor decide to pick us off, one by one. Keep in mind, while they won’t target the kids, the same cannot be said about the rest of us.”

Well, this is lovely.

“Brown, Pink—go fix the lights!” Red gives his orders, much to Yellow and Pink’s complete annoyance.

“Why us?!” they complain.

“Because you’re outnumbered by the actual parents in this room, and I know you two are the fastest members of our crew.” Red heaves out a sigh. “I hate to do this, but…circumstances call for it, so go. If you make it back alive, you guys are getting a raise.”

“Man, this sucks!!” Pink slams her fist down on the table, nearly breaking it in half.

“Oh goodie—we’ve needed a replacement for a while.” You’re starting to wonder if everything about Red’s behavior has been some form of coping mechanism.

If so, then you’d like some advice.

“It’s called survival, and I have never lost sight of it, even when the mission is a bust.” Oh right— **that** can happen, too.

( _That’s_ comforting.)

Minutes go by as you and the others wait for Pink and Brown’s return. Unsurprisingly, the children are confused—Moss especially, since not only did she lose her father, but she also lost her mother.

And the worst thing is that she still doesn’t know. Purple, after all, decided to cross that bridge when the mission was over, and well…

(Guess she’ll never have a chance.)

And that leaves you deal with Moss, because for some reason, she decided to go to you, when she could have gone to anyone else…

“Why did you come to me?” You can’t help but ask.

“Because Mama said you’re safe!!” Moss wraps her arms around your legs without any warning. “Saaaaaaaaaafe.”

“Aww, geez…!” You wanna cry— _why_ is it always you?!

“You want me to contact HQ to get the paperwork ready?” Red chimes in.

“Shut up!” You still haven’t made a decision.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Dammit. “At this rate, you’ll be invincible.”

“Assuming that future Impostors don’t go after me.” Or worse—you don’t make it to the escape pod in time when the Impostors completely sabotage a mission. You’re always ready to expect the worse.

Which is why you’re more than prepared when Pink crashes into the wall, screaming about how White is the Impostor. She won’t stop crying about it, saying that she saw White eat Brown as she crawls into the room.

_ROAR!!_

“THERE HE IS!!” she shrieks.

A giant maw filled with razor-sharp teeth and a long, tongue has since broken out of White’s helmet. Clawed hands rip through his spacesuit’s gloves, his body’s form taking on a more grotesque appearance with each sickening crack you hear from him.

You’re honestly surprised you didn’t start screaming. Rather, you’re too busy dealing with everyone else’s screams, paired up with random furniture being thrown around as Red got his gun ready.

You’re…not exactly sure how you all got out of that, without any more casualties. More than anything, you have a lot of questions you want to ask Red, but he refuses to say any more.

“Still don’t know you well.” And he’s certainly right about that. “I’ll consider it if you ever have to leave through an escape pod.”

Yeah, fuck him too.

(Regardless, you owe him your life.)

“Ewww!!” Moss holds up White’s tongue, just showing it off to the rest of the children. They squeal and scream as they run away from her, Moss growing a little bolder with the tongue in her hand. It’s pretty gross, but oh well—it looks like everyone’s having fun, while you and the others…

_Splat!_

Clean up… “Eeeugh…”

“Get used to it, twerp—this won’t be the last time you clean up after an Impostor.” Oh, how you _wish_ you were innocent and ignorant again.

That evening, you find yourself sharing your bed again with Moss, who immediately gets comfortable with Berry and Pop. You heave out a sigh and close your eyes…only to wake up when you realize you’re wrapped in vines.

Moss is a bit too clingy, but honestly? You don’t mind.

And neither do Berry and Pop.

Your family is growing bigger in ways that you never really expected. You always thought you’d be alone for the next decade or so, but with each child that’s added to your family…you slowly come to terms with how unpredictable the future can be.

You can only wonder what’ll happen next, as Moss’s sap-like drool soaks through your shirt.

(Maybe you should’ve worn your spacesuit to sleep.)

You reconsider when you decide that this is just another sign of being a parent.

_Splat._

That, too, is another sign of being a parent—though you really wish Pop would stay in their containment suit. Instead, they’re far too happy to just…cover you, Berry, and Moss like a blanket made out of slime.

_Chomp._

And now Berry’s chewing on your arm.

Well…this is parenthood.

(Would you really have it any other way?)

No…you wouldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyooo, almost done with class and whatnot!! Decided to crank out another chapter for this fic!! Kinda on the worldbuilding side, with some other shenanigans.
> 
> First time on Polus!! But also, Red’s back and we’ve learned a bit more about Pixie herself!! And now introducing Moss!! She’s basically a plant-based alien, like our first Impostor, only…she’s not a hostile.
> 
> She’s just Moss, who likes to wrap people in vines to show her affection, and cover people with her sap-like drool. She got told to go to Pixie, due to her antics to stop the seismic reactor. Kinda hard to consider her an Impostor when she literally got herself sick doing what she did to keep everyone alive.
> 
> And so the family continues to grow!!
> 
> As usual, I’m surprised with how many people are reading this fic, but I guess our hyperfixations have aligned AND SO HOW ABOUT THAT NEW MAP HUH?!??!
> 
> I’m fucking excited!!! Especially with what that means for this fic!!! Because it means more time with Pixie and the kids, and maybe even more kids to add to the family.
> 
> Sorry if I haven’t responded to ALL of the comments, I got busy with class and just vhfjghbk recently got free from most of my assignments. Tuesday’s my final exam, so after that, I’ll be COMPLETELY FREE.
> 
> Also, _Genshin Impact_ got me in a chokehold, so…sorry, lol.
> 
> Anyways, I’ll try to get on all the comments this time around, so uhh…if you wanna tell me what you think, then go ahead! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!! This is all I have for now, so until next time, everyone!!
> 
> Stay safe!!


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